PARIS, March 28 — French traditional cheese makers yesterday urged governments and lawmakers to protect raw milk cheese products as an increasing number of industrial cheeses made out of pasteurised milk hit markets worldwide.
As France was celebrating its national “Cheese Day”, raw milk cheese manufacturers organised several events across France to praise health benefits of raw milk on the human body.
“The real issue for Western societies is our immune systems,” Veronique Richez-Lerouge, with local cheese association “Fromages de terroirs” told Reuters.
“Why do people suffer food intolerance? Why are people more and more resistant to antibiotics? It is because they do not eat enough living foods and notably raw milk or cheese made from raw milk.”
Carlos Yescas, a programme director for the US-based Oldways Cheese Coalition, said he believed France’s cheeses were at risk as small farmers and their ancestral know-how were slowly disappearing in the wake of competition brought on by large dairy companies using pasteurised milk. — Reuters
